Trash troubles

[number one]

Hi there,

Can anyone give some advice for figuring out how to do trash? I've been living in Japan a year already, and up until about 2 months ago I never had a problem having my burnables picked up. As far as I can tell, I'm following all the guidelines for throwing out burnables! Yet, for some reason my trash keeps getting rejected. No note is ever left so I have no idea why. It's one of the first things I asked my supervisor about when I got here but she said she didn't know, and the other people in the area I have asked have just said that they throw whatever doesn't fall into the other categories (pet bottle, glass, etc) in the burnables and it's fine. So confused!

I know ESID so no one can tell me exactly what's what, but anyone know where I can get SUPER DETAILED information? The guide in my trash calendar isn't good enough apparently.

... I'm soooo not looking forward to picking through my trash.

[KIKKI.K]

Wow, only 3 categories?? Iii naaaa.... My city has 14... I've never heard of writing your name and apartment number on the bags though...

I have a bit of a question though, tinfoil... Is this burnable? I use only minute quantities from cheese wrappers, and that's where I've been putting it, and it's not mentioned in my super detailed guide, so I was wondering other JETs' thoughts on this....

[AlbertDavidIbarakiPA]

I have a bit of a question though, tinfoil... Is this burnable? I use only minute quantities from cheese wrappers, and that's where I've been putting it, and it's not mentioned in my super detailed guide, so I was wondering other JETs' thoughts on this....

All packaging on Japanese products indicate what material they are. For "tin foil," it may be distinguished as 「アルミ」 (aluminum). Whether aluminum is included in your area's burnable or nonburnable is something I can't be sure of.

The best place to look first is your city/town hall for more detailed information. Tell them where you live exactly, and they should have a detailed guide on how to take care of trash. It may be in Japanese, and it may have been updated since the last time you received a trash collection calendar.

The second person to ask is your landlord. S/he should know the exact specifications on your trash collection.

[KIKKI.K]

I have a bit of a question though, tinfoil... Is this burnable? I use only minute quantities from cheese wrappers, and that's where I've been putting it, and it's not mentioned in my super detailed guide, so I was wondering other JETs' thoughts on this....

All packaging on Japanese products indicate what material they are. For "tin foil," it may be distinguished as 「アルミ」 (aluminum). Whether aluminum is included in your area's burnable or nonburnable is something I can't be sure of.

The best place to look first is your city/town hall for more detailed information. Tell them where you live exactly, and they should have a detailed guide on how to take care of trash. It may be in Japanese, and it may have been updated since the last time you received a trash collection calendar.

The second person to ask is your landlord. S/he should know the exact specifications on your trash collection.

It's not indicated anywhere on the label, which is why I don't know :p

[AlbertDavidIbarakiPA]

It's not indicated anywhere on the label, which is why I don't know :p

If it's the cheese wrappers I'm thinking of, it may be classified as regular paper, just with a tin "coating". If it's not just a coating (actual foil on both sides), it may be borderline aluminum. If you want to post a picture, we can probably help you out on that.

[KIKKI.K]

It's not indicated anywhere on the label, which is why I don't know :p

If it's the cheese wrappers I'm thinking of, it may be classified as regular paper, just with a tin "coating". If it's not just a coating (actual foil on both sides), it may be borderline aluminum. If you want to post a picture, we can probably help you out on that.

It's aluminium foil on both sides, with a paper label stuck very tightly to it. They're the little cheese that come in packets of 4 in the supermarkets, though they might not have them where you are....

[Nicky_FukuiPA]

I agree that you should ask someone about your specific area, but those cheese wrappers are burnable in my area (as well as 2 other cities that I've lived in)

[pnksweater]

You should be able to get a poster and/or a booklet that outlines the different materials in your trash and how dispose of them. At one apartment this was provided by the land lady. At my current location I picked these up from the counter at the city hall that handles trash related business. The posters tend to have lots of pictures making them easy to understand. The booklet, while full of Japanese and lacking pictures, does have an index in the back which allows me to search for disposal method by item.

[jerseywonder]

I'm so glad that my town doesn't really seem to care what I chuck in the bin, so long as I separate plastic bottles, glass and cans. If it's something I'm not sure about, I just shove it in the middle of the bag and it gets taken away no problem.

My boyfriend has a ridiculous rubbish collection system where he lives - he has multiple bins in his house and gets annoyed with me if I accidentally put plastic in the paper section. But the result of this is that his house is just filled with piles of carefully separated rubbish that keep getting bigger as he always forgets what's collected on which day and doesn't put it out in time. Gross! I prefer my system and am of the opinion that everything is burnable if the temperature's high enough.

[coop52]

I prefer my system and am of the opinion that everything is burnable if the temperature's high enough.

Everything that's not recyclable actually does get burned here, just at different temperatures for different things. There's not really any space for trash dumps so burning's really the only thing they can do.

[jerseywonder]

Everything that's not recyclable actually does get burned here, just at different temperatures for different things. There's not really any space for trash dumps so burning's really the only thing they can do.

And there I was thinking Japan must go out of its way to carefully recycle the most obscure items of rubbish. Way to shatter my ideological dreams! I guess the fact that my town doesn't care what gets put in burnable should have been a big hint ...

[misheruz]

Man, after reading these posts, I feel really lucky to live on an island where they burn EVERYTHING. I don't have to worry about rinsing out pet bottles or taking the lids off. Heck, the old men in the neighborhood burn a lot of their garbage themselves...plastics too, it stinks!